Free-DOS FAQ, Project Status Update, and Task List
compiled by: Morgan "Hannibal" Toal <freedos@sunsite.unc.edu>
This file was updated on or about: 18 May 1995
The information in this file supersedes all other Free-DOS files
and information where applicable.
If you see an error here, please email me.
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CONTACT PEOPLE and GENERAL INFORMATION:
General: M. "Hannibal" Toal <freedos@sunsite.unc.edu>
Kernel: Pat Villani <pat_villani@vos.stratus.com>
Shell: Tim Norman <normat@rpi.edu>
Documentation: Bill Weinman <billw@syspac.com>
Testing: Rob Schanke <rschanke@falcon.lhup.edu>
(Rob's summer address: <robert.schanke@paonline.com>)
Micro-C: Dave Dunfield <ddunfield@bix.com>
BBS Archive: 'puternet BBS, 515.232.7631
Rob Schanke's BBS, 717.691.0807
FTP Archive: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/micro/pc-stuff/msdos/freedos
ftp://ftp.paranoia.com/pub/users/bearheart/freedos
WWW pages: http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/freedos.html
http://www.paranoia.com/~billw/freedos/freedos.html
Mailing list: Mail to: free-dos-request@vpro.nl
Subject: subscribe your-email-address
Subject: unsubscribe your-email-address
Please note that James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org> can no longer maintain
the utilities he has written due to the commitments of his new career, but
is occasionally available for comment. :)
Special acknowledgements to...
Peter Busser for setting up the mailing list
The staff of sunsite.unc.edu for providing the original FTP site
BearHeart and the staff of paranoia.com for providing the alternate FTP site
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Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. What is Free-DOS?
A. Free-DOS will be a complete MS-DOS compatible operating system,
suitable for any DOS capable platform. Free-DOS will be distributed
under the terms of the GNU General Public License.
Q. How do I get the Free-DOS files?
A. You want the Free-DOS ALPHA 3 RELEASE. Look for the file FREEDOS3.ZIP,
located on sunsite.unc.edu and paranoia.com. More complete information
is listed elsewhere in this document.
Q. The files in the Alpha 3 release are old. When is it being updated?
A. The ALPHA 4 RELEASE is due out REAL SOON NOW, look for it by the
end of MAY 1995.
Q. What is DOS/NT?
A. DOS/NT is now OBSOLETE and has been SUPERSEDED by DOS-C, by the
same author.
Q. Where is the DOS-C kernel source?
A. Due to legal reasons, the source for the DOS-C kernel CAN NOT BE
RELEASED until it's publication in book form. Pat Villani has stated
that at this time, the source WILL be made available.
Q. Why doesn't _____ work under DOS-C or the Free-DOS COMMAND.COM?
A. Because of BUGS or INCOMPLETENESS. While users are encouraged to
try and use both Pat Villani's DOS-C and Tim Norman's COMMAND.COM,
you are GOING to run into errors. Test the Free-DOS utilities under
the regular MS-DOS kernel and command.com for now.
Q. What is MICRO-C? Why are you using it, and not compiler 'X'?
A. MICRO-C is a complete PUBLIC DOMAIN 8086 C compler which is being used
to write many of the programs associated with Free-DOS. MICRO-C is
available on the Free-DOS FTP sites listed above.
Q. How can I contribute to the Free-DOS project?
A. Take a moment to peruse this file, and note the tasks you might
be interested in doing. Then email hannibal@iastate.edu!
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IMMEDIATE NEEDS:
1.0: I have lost contact with the following persons. If you know one of
these people, please ask them to get in touch with me if they are still
interested in contributing to Free-DOS:
Greg Mahlknecht <gregm@igloo.iacess.za>
Charles Marslett <ChasMSTB@aol.com>
Robert Watts <ba149794@student.uq.edu.au>
Tom Watson <sfp@yarrow.wt.uwa.edu.au>
Andrew Whittle <dking@apana.suburbia.org.au>
2.0: Could someone DONATE or VOLUNTEER TO WRITE any of the following important
applications:
CHKDSK UNDELETE FDISK PRINT
XCOPY XMS EMS
3.0: People are ENCOURAGED to test out the NEW DOS-C KERNEL, which is
the subject of an upcoming book by the kernel's author, Pat Villani.
4.0: I have a PD xms/ems/disk swap function (SWAP300.ZIP by Marty Del
Vecchio) that I would like to see ported to ARROWASM, to be usable
from MICRO-C. Is there some ASM guru out there who would like to tackle
this?
5.0: DOES ANYONE AT ALL have any information about ARROWSOFT SYSTEMS INC,
we are using Arrowsoft Assembler v2.00c, PD version, their last known
address was:
554 West Sixth Avenue, Larkview MO, 66069
Southwestern Bell in both Kansas and Missouri have no record of a Larkview
MO, and the post office tells me that the zip code corresponds to a Kansas
address, not Missouri, and they can't find the town either. The manual
mentions the individuals:
Stan Goldwyn-Benton
Kaplan "Kap" Morovitz
Stan, Kap, or anyone who knows them, or anyone who is familiar with
ARROWSOFT SYSTEMS INC is encouraged to contact hannibal@iastate.edu.
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CURRENT STATE OF FREE-DOS PROJECT:
Notes:
* Ported to Micro-C
*1 Promised, expected.
*2 Have, but in need of revision.
*3 PD version known to exist.
1.0: Application Programs.
MS-DOS Free-DOS Contributor(s)
BASIC BWBASIC Ted Campbell <tcamp@acpub.duke.edu>
DEBUG *1 Paul Vojta <vojta@math.berkeley.edu>
DOSSHELL
EDIT FREEMACS Russell Nelson <nelson@crynwr.com>
SETUP *1 Youness El Andaloussi <elandm@rpi.edu>
MSD FD Darren Bane <dbane@unix1.rtc-waterford.ie>
HELP HELP Bill Weinman <billw@syspac.com>
2.0: Operating System Commands.
MS-DOS Free-DOS Contributor(s)
ANSI *1 Jason Lee <jlee@obunix.okbu.edu>
APPEND
ASSIGN
ATTRIB ATTRIB* Dave Dunfield <ddunfield@bix.com>
BACKUP
BREAK BREAK* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
CHKDSK *2 Jack Zucker c/o Mike Todd <unknown>
- CHOICE* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
CLOCK$ <kris.heidenstrom@actrix.gen.nz>
CLS CLS* Peter Mikalajunas <kd9fb@xnet.com>
COMP COMP Paul Vojta <vojta@math.berkeley.edu>
COMPRESS
COPY
DATE DATE* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
DEL DEL* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
DELTREE DELTREE Lou Duchez <lduchez@en.com>
DIR *1 M. Hannibal Toal <hannibal@iastate.edu>
DISKCOMP
DISKCOPY *3
DISKCOPY
DISPLAY
EDLIN
EMM386
EXE2BIN
EXPAND
FASTOPEN
FC *1 Karoly Neygesi <chx@turan.elte.hu>
FDISK
- FFF* John Hall <jchall@tasc.com>
- FIN <kris.heidenstrom@actrix.gen.nz>
FIND FIND* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
FORMAT FORMAT Karoly Neygesi <chx@turan.elte.hu>
GRAFTABL
GRAPHICS
HELP MAN* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
HIMEM XMS Mark Huss <meh@bis.adp.com>
JOIN JOIN <steffen.kaiser@informatik.TU-chemnitz.DE>
KEYB
LABEL LABEL Max Brante <max@krille.update.UU.SE>
LOADFIX
LOADHIGH
MEM *3
MIRROR
MKDIR/MD *1 James Lynch <jwl@atlanta.cray.com>
MODE MODE <kris.heidenstrom@actrix.gen.nz>
MORE MORE* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
MOVE MOVE Lou Duchez <lduchez@en.com>
NLSFUNC
- NROFF* John Dudeck <jdudeck@polyslo.calpoly.edu>
- PG* Bill Weinman <>
PRINT
RAMDRIVE *3
- REBOOT* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
RECOVER
RENAME
REPLACE
RMDIR/RD *1 James Lynch <jwl@atlanta.cray.com>
SETVER J. M. Rubillon <rubillon@coventry.ac.uk>
SHARE
SMARTDRV
SORT *1 James Lynch <jwl@atlanta.cray.com>
SUBST SUBST <steffen.kaiser@informatik.TU-chemnitz.DE>
SYS
- TEE* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
TIME TIME* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
- TOUCH <kris.heidenstrom@actrix.gen.nz>
TREE TREE* Rob Schanke <rschanke@falcon.lhup.edu>
TYPE TYPE* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
UNDELETE
UNFORMAT
- UNIX2DOS* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
- UNZIP Info-ZIP <info-zip@wkuvx1.wku.edu>
VER VERSION* James Hall <jhall@datamap.mn.org>
VERIFY VERIFY Peter Mikalajunas <kd9fb@xnet.com>
XCOPY
- ZIP Info-ZIP <info-zip@wkuvx1.wku.edu>
3.0: Shell.
Author/coordinator: Tim Norman <normat@rpi.edu>
The shell will implement the following commands as builtins:
CALL CHDIR CHCP CTTY DOSKEY ECHO EXIT FOR
GOTO IF PATH PROMPT REM SET SHIFT
4.0: Kernel.
Author: Pat Villani <pat_villani@vos.stratus.com>
A list of supported int 21 services is included in the DOS-C documentation.
Free-DOS and Linux's DOSEMU team are now working alongside each other.
They will be using our utilities, and we will be using their kernel.
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Thanks for taking the time to look this over.
On behalf of everyone involved with the Free-DOS project, your interest
is greatly appreciated!!!
hannibal
